Michigan Camp Life

We purposely had a lot of down time while we were in Michigan for the past week. We are still settling in to the new fifth wheel, figuring out where everything should go, and finding our groove. We stayed at Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground, which is HUGE. It's pretty crowded down by the beach and playground area, but we were staying in the big rig sites at the back of the park where it was spread out and quiet. Except for the screaming kids at the site across the road. I'm usually relatively tolerant of kid related noise, but Holy Cow these kids whined and cried all week long. Other than those neighbors, our site was very nice.

The kids and I actually got lost a couple of times walking around the labyrinth of roads, paths, and campsites, but we eventually got where we were going. The campground has a sizable chunk of shoreline on Lake Huron, so on the first day there the kids and I wandered around just admiring the views.

We did visit the beach on the lake, but were too busy swimming and skipping rocks to take pictures. Gabriella spent a lot of time diving to the bottom to find the best rocks for Dad to skip. She found one with a fossil in it - eventually we will try to figure out what created the impression.

Tuesday was the perfect pool day! Gabriella even found a group of girls to play Marco Polo - her favorite pool pastime.

Even Fergus, our magical sock monkey (long story that some of you may be familiar with) wanted to see the sights, so he joined us for a picnic lunch by the water and got a glimpse of the Mackinaw Bridge.

We did squeeze in one evening drive through Mackinaw City, then along the coast of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. We saw signs for the McGulpin Point Lighthouse and stopped in for a look. It was on the tiny side for a lighthouse, but still cool to climb up to the lantern.

We also stopped at a camp store near a state park when we saw a handwritten sign proclaiming it to be a "Jerky Outlet." How could we resist? It was actually pretty good stuff. We then drove to Cheboygan to pick up a couple of groceries. The new camper has a bigger fridge, so we only have to shop once a week! So much better than only being able to fit one carton of milk at a time.

Friday night we headed into Mackinaw City for dinner at the Keyhole Bar and Grill. Don and I wanted another taste of the local fish before we headed out. Plus, there was some nasty weather moving in, so we packed up all of the outdoor stuff early so that we didn't have to cook or clean up in the rain.

Due to a serious lack of storage space and budget constrictions, we generally don't buy souvenirs. However, I think it is allowed as long as the souvenir is consumable!

Note the high-class plastic wineglass! Fine crystal doesn't fare well on the road.

Michigan was a good start. We are ready for the next adventure!